Is The Lent Period Necessary?

So I have read that ..

''The rules for fasting and abstinence in the United States are: Every person 14 years or older must abstain from meat (and items made with meat) on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent. Every person between theage of 18 and 59 (beginning of 60th year) must fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. ''

I practice not to eat meat on Good Friday weekend, and on Ask Wednesday. However, I cannot understand the purpose of the Lent period nor its importance. Is it from man or from God? How is it necessary for Christians?

Please help.

Have you read that in the bible? Yes, it's from man, and no, you don't have to do it.

This is not Biblical at all.. It is a tradition created by men, it is not from God..

For Christians, no. For Catholics it may be something that church concocted.

Thanks, its true, it is not from God. I remember when I was in high school, a preacher came to us and stated that we dont have to give up meat but anything that you enjoy in life whether it be music, chocolate, etc. I was confused then and felt guilty since I gave up nothing. Ive always felt the guilt. Now I understand that its man-made and not necessarily instructed by God.

By the way its great to see you! Gosh its been awhile

So the Catholics are the ones who came up with this? I never knew the origins. It would make sense though

Yes I agree. Its sad how many of these things are created by men and forced onto believers as a requirement.

it's all connected to Mardi-Gras, = mardi is from marduk the babylonian sun-god -
it's a celebration and declaration of 'war' against The Only True God -
the fruits of this pagan-decadent-festival bear witness to very real
demonic-darkness and witch-craft -
it also has many fingers that reach into other so called religious festivals that
the many christians' partake of...

we must NEVER partake at the table of devils - in any way-shape-form' -
1COR. 10:21.
You cannot drink the cup of The Lord, and the cup of devils:
you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

I agree 100%! Thanks so much

Weird I never heard of this, is this a catholic thing.

I know for passover, which God instructed the Israelites to celebrate, they had to eat unleavened bread for seven days...and remove any leaven or yeast from their house. But they were also instructed on the last day to eat roast lamb.

Fasting was never given as a requirement it was something you decided on personally. Although, the jewish people do fast on their new years eve, but it may be a tradition.

For a good but simple summary of the origin and purpose of Lent, read:

https://stmatthewsnewport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/LENT-Meaning-of.wpd-revised.pdf

In the church of my youth (my first 21 years), Lent was not observed. Later, when I became a United Methodist pastor, I came to view this oversight as a spiritual tragedy. It is one thing not to observe Lent; it is quite another to disparage those who do. That indeed is a sign of judgmental spiritual immaturity. My congregation learned to appreciate how sensitivity to the church calendar helped them identify and upgrade their spiritual journey.

The disrespect posters display towards Lenten observance mirrors their indifference to the life of the Christian as spiritual journey. It is far too easy to forget about Jesus' teaching on the need for continual confession of sin, repentance, and the need for self-denial for the prospective disciple. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, a service devoted to renewed self-assessment and meditation on areas of hidden sin that need recognition, confession, and repentance. In many churches, these unconfessed sins are written down on a piece of paper to ensure that the penitent seeker is more serious about the cost of discipleship than the mockers on this site. Then this paper is publicly burnt to signify the marvelous truth that God buries their sins in the sea of His forgetfulness and then puts up a sign that says, "No fishing!" So when we continue to wallow in guilt feelings, after repentance, we are fishing in a No Fishing zone! Towards the end of the service, congregants come forward to allow the pastors to apply ash to their foreheads in the shape of a cross. In the OT, penitents combined fasting with an application of ashes to demonstrate the seriousness with which they take authentic repentance. When the congregation disperses to shop for food, etc,, this cross-shaped ash bears eloquent testimony to the basic requirements of true discipleship.

The 40 days of Lent extend from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, but Sundays don't count in the calculation. The 40 day duration recalls Moses' 40 day fast in Mount Sinai, Elijah's 40 day fast on his journey to Mount Sinai (= Mount Horeb), and Jesus' 40 day fast during His time of testing in the wilderness at the beginning of His public ministry. So Lenten fasting is a way of imitating these spiritual giants and making self-denial real and not just a pious part of our spiritual self-image.

Besdies the themes of confession, repentance, and self-denial, Lent begins with an emphasis on spiritual testing during our spiritual journey. Lenten observers find this helpful because believers often lose sight of how regularly we are tested in our daily walk. Failure to notice these tests often means test failure! Lent also stresses the process of spiritual rebirth and transformation. On Palm/ Passion Sunday and even on preceding Sundays, Lenten services focus on Holy Week in Jesus' final days, so that the events leading up to His crucifixion are understood as a coherent whole. The service on Holy Thursday often includes either a Passover meal or a foot washing ceremony for meditation on the messianic symbolism of the Passover meal and the true meaning of Jesus' foot washing episode in John 13. On Good Friday, of course, the church altar is stripped to draw attention to the horror of Jesus' suffering on the cross in anticipation of the redecoration of the altar during the triumphant processional hymn (usually "Christ the Lord is Risen Today") on Easter Sunday. Lenten disciplines thus enhance the anticipation and joyful celebration on Easter Sunday.

I dont see any disrespect. Its just not a tradition in some churches and others observe different fasts eg 21 day fasts, personal fasts, and passover, pentecost is observed 50 days later, with the coming of the holy spirit. In the Bible, this is shavout. In some churches its called prayer and self denial and the proceeds go to missionaries and they have this every year, but not at this times that other churches have them.

Also Lent is never mentioned in the Bible, neither is christmas. So it is a tradtion but man made. If not part of your church tradition then you not obligated to observe it. Certainly giving up meat wasnt in the OT and, Jesus said in the NT to go about your day normally and wash your face! Not put ashes on it! He wanted people to fast IN SECRET!

We are not all pastors here and we dont all have a church that we can call 'my congregation'. So please think before you accuse others of being spiritually immature.

Is the lent period necessary?

Yes.
Whenever you've lent something, you should wait a period before demanding it's return.
It's only polite.

..

Finally someone with a deep understanding of church doctrine.

...

Lent was supposed to replicate the 40 days of fasting in the wilderness by Christ, which was long before the crucifixion.

However, it is part of a system which encourages salvation by works.

Yea kinda weird, but again it seems to be a catholic thing. I worked in a fish and chip shop and that was the busiest night. I mean no disprepect when I say its weird, it just doesnt make a lot of sense thats all.

Fasting isnt just giving up meat but all foods and only having water or juices. Many young christians do the 40 hour famine which raises funds for World Vision, for that you are only meant to have juice, water and barley sugars. Again, not an obligation, although its specified on a certain day everyone does it together.

There is no harm in observing these things although I am not sure about the mardi gras thing. Its like st patricks day has become not really about saint patrick the missionary but seems an excuse to wear green and get drunk. Same with st valentine day...nobody seems to recognise him its all about spending money on chocolates.

Lanolin,

I double down on my charge of disrespect. For example, read post #9. To dismiss Lent as "made-made" tradition" makes as much sense as dismissing the practice of closing your eyes for prayer as unbiblical man-made tradition. The spiritual principles on which Lent is focused as solidly biblical and the status of Lent as a 40-day spiritual journey pays homage to the 40 days of fasting and testing experienced by Moses on Sinai, by Elijah on his pilgrimage to Sinai, and by Jesus in the wilderness.

but none of that makes it not a purely human-origin tradition.

500 years from now there may well be a longstanding church tradition of having a coffee shop at the back of the sanctuary named either He-Brews or Holy Grounds ((dep. on denomination)), and it may well have any number of colloquial symbolisms attached to it that have some tangential connection to various points of scripture, none of which being the origin of it, but which only have come to be associated with it.

that won't make a Starbucks© inside a chapel a Biblical practice. it will still be a purely human-origin tradition, no matter how much human history it accumulates, and no mater how many traditional associations it gathers through the years.

why - Biblically - is it disrespectful to tell the truth about whether Lent is commanded by God or whether it is a tradition and commandment of men?